Fellas; settle an arguement about traditional street rods over beer and wings

So; my dad, his best friend, myself and some guys my age were sitting around bench racing.

The topic of coupes came up and *I* said I was getting tired of Model A coupes; they seem to have taken off here since deuce coupes are so spendy and t-buckets are so small. I then said "I'd love to see a nicely done, late 50's style, Chevy powered V8 (or other OHV motor); full fendered late T coupe with the tall top and something like a dressy set of hubcaps (not baby moons or Moon discs)."

I was told in no uncertain terms, by guys who were born in 1950 or so; and a bunch of 26yr olds who hang out on the HAMB that NO ONE built full fendered tall Ts until the '70s. Which would probably mean Cragars or 5 spokes.

Are they right; that tall T, fendered coupes are a say '68-70 thing? I don't have any Hot Rod mags pre late '67 and there's no T builds in the issues I have of any type.

PS The beer was good, the wings were okay but overpriced and it was a trip watching a handful of internet traditionalists debate a couple guys who went to college in 1968 LOL I just sat back and let the fur fly

This is a SB Ford in a '16 center door sedan - but you can visualize it as a coupe:

Then there is this '27 coupe:

Unfortunately so many 'T's went into the WW2 war effort, leaving the 'A's and later cars to continue the hot rod movement. Do I like the tall 'T' ? You betcha and if you could revisit the late '30 thru the '40s you would probably find that they are really more the tradition then the '30's cars

Well said. The difference is that the young "experts" of today announce the way things were.. 10-30 years before their birth!

An example of what you said would be... were there flat black cars in the fifties and sixties?

In my home town of 50,000 people, I remember two, over a thirty year span. A '55 Pontiac sedan... and a '37 Chevy coupe.

There WERE dozens and dozens of primered cars... waiting for a few months for the money to be painted... but they were red or gray... NOT black. Why is it that young enthusiasts seem to think that black was the trend...when black primers were almost completely UNAVAILABLE then???

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to TucsonJay For This Useful Post:

Well said. The difference is that the young "experts" of today announce the way things were.. 10-30 years before their birth!

An example of what you said would be... were there flat black cars in the fifties and sixties?

In my home town of 50,000 people, I remember two, over a thirty year span. A '55 Pontiac sedan... and a '37 Chevy coupe.

There WERE dozens and dozens of primered cars... waiting for a few months for the money to be painted... but they were red or gray... NOT black. Why is it that young enthusiasts seem to think that black was the trend...when black primers were almost completely UNAVAILABLE then???

How true, how true. I never remember seeing a black primer, even until into the 80's.

The reason I ask is I remember hearing about fender rules back in the 50s and 60s and certainly into the 70s. I know thats a regional thing. To go along with that, I imagine the fenders would be bobbed and no running boards; correct?

I used black primer in the late 50's, and mixed it with red to get brown primer. and some one took a pict from the top of a building in 1959 of the college parking lot and my 53 chevy is right in the center, black primer with a yellow hood. One of the few color pictures in the college yeargook. My brother did not latch it tight, it blew up and the wreching yard replacement was a bright yellow 54. The engineering dean's daughter drove a primered purple 47 dodge coupe, grey primer she had color added.

Here you go 1959 its chopped though it was in the first pocket mag I picked up!! LOL I haven't looked in any others! "NO ONE built full fendered tall Ts until the '70s. Which would probably mean Cragars or 5 spokes." its a built and choped tall "T" I hope this is proof enough to show your Dad and friends

We had black primer in the mid '60s in the Midwest. I had a nice '55 Chevy the was green and white - paint was excellent... my best buddy hounded me constantly to paint it with black primer! (I didn't) We also had a lot of red oxide primer.

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